Fox’s New Shows Include Rick And Morty Creator’s Krapopolis, Country Music Drama Monarch, Jon Hamm’s Grimsburg & More
Adult Swim
Monarch
A show about a powerful family threatening to tear itself apart as old secrets are brought to light, with the children doing all they can to protect their parents’ legacy while also carving out their own? That description makes my brain immediately leap to “Succession,” though I’m guessing Susan Sarandon isn’t going to running around telling people to “F** off” whichever way she turns, as much as I am here for that. “Monarch” could also be a bit like a cross between “Nashville” and “Dynasty,” which makes it all the more convent that The CW only just canceled its reboot of the latter series during a recent Red Wedding-style massacre of its weekly programming lineup.
Accused
It seems like the big takeaway here is “Accused” reunites three of the main creative forces behind “Homeland,” a show that was also based on a non-U.S. series (in that case, the Israeli TV drama “Prisoners of War”). And while “Homeland” would go on to run a whole eight seasons, it went through a lot of ups and downs over that time, often struggling to justify its existence far beyond the limited concept that inspired it. Anthology shows are an even dicier prospect, although it’s best to wait and see if “Accused” can actually sustain its conceit across a single season before we get ahead of ourselves speculating about its future.
Alert
NBC
Launching a new police procedural in 2022 is, um, certainly a bold strategy, and we’ll see if it pays off for Fox. But if “Alert” doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, yet you find yourself intrigued by the idea of a mystery where someone claims to be a long-long person, might I suggest Bart Layton’s 2012 documentary “The Imposter?” It’s a lesser-known work /Film’s Valerie Ettenhoffer heralded as a “shock-a-minute” true story thriller that surpasses any true crime doc you could find on Netflix, and it’s available for streaming on a handful of different platforms.
Grimsburg
AMC
After starring in seven seasons of one of the most critically-acclaimed shows of all time, “Mad Men” alum Jon Hamm seems content to do whatever strikes his fancy, be it playing Gabriel, leader of the forces of Heaven, on “Good Omens” or voicing Iron Man on the recently-canceled Marvel animated comedy series “M.O.D.O.K.” That trend looks to carry on with “Grimsburg,” which reminds me a bit of “M.O.D.O.K.” in that it, too, centers on a genre archetype (in this case, the noir detective) who tries to rekindle ties with his estranged family while also existing in a parody version of the genre that inspired them.
Krapopolis
Are you ready for another off-beat Dan Harmon project? “Krapopolis” sounds a bit like a cross between elements of “Rick and Morty” and “Community,” its fantasy setting aside. Really, though, any show that pairs Hannah Waddingham with Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry is certainly making an effort to be funny, however the series’ blend of character-driven comedy and political satire turns out. Less encouraging are those reports that “Krapopolis” is the “first-ever animated series curated entirely on the Blockchain,” with plans to “curate and sell digital goods,” including NFTs of character and background art. Gross.
